There is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when you can cross something off your bucket list. This happened to me at the Iceberg Festival in St. Anthony, Newfoundland where I came within six feet of an iceberg. As someone who has been born and raised in Toronto, icebergs were something that I only saw in commercials for Alaskan boat cruises.

The next day Sunday, July 14 we headed for St. Anthony were we had booked with the Northland Discovery Boat Tour (http://www.discovernorthland.com/) . Since we had a 1:00 pm sailing, we decided to see the Grenfell Interpretation Centre (www.grenfell-properties.com) which is close to the boat tour wharf. The Grenfell Interpretation Centre tells the amazing story of Dr. Grenfell and his selfless devotion to the health care and general wellbeing of the people of southern Labrador and the Northern Peninsula.

It's hard not to visit St. John's without longing to be out on the water. The stunning scenery of the Atlantic Ocean and the rugged coastline can lure any traveller to hop on board with one of our outstanding boat tour operators.

If you recall, our last stop was in North West River. Although we had tentatively planned to leave there mid day, I often lose sight of time when I follow my nose so it was dusk when we bid farewell to this region and hit that long long (albeit relatively new) road to Cartwright. Did I say that road was long? I should have known we wouldn’t get there before midnight.

f you want to go cod fishing from a traditional Newfoundland dory then you need to contact Darren Park. Darren is a top notch guide and operates 2 Newfoundland dories for tours of the Goose and Penguin Arm and is based in Cox’s Cove at the end of the North Shore highway (highway 440) near Corner Brook. His dory fishing trips are unique in the province and are very popular during the recreational cod fishery which runs from July 21-August 12, 2012.

“I love my office” grinned Ryan Young above the roar of the motor as we skipped over the small waves of Trout River Pond. “This southern part of Gros Morne National Park is undiscovered by many people and it is too bad since it is a spectacular area.”

We were doing a new Ocean Quest boat tour (http://www.oceanquestadventures.com/services/tourist/gros-morne-national-park) that started on Trout River Pond, and we had to agree - Trout River Pond is amazing since it is surrounded by steep cliffs 550-600 meters high and it is 15 km long.

We are big fans of traditional Newfoundland music whether it be “I’se the Bye” or a song from the Northern Peninsula that we might never have previously heard. Neddy Norris Night is Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s popular musical night and it takes on a different flavour depending on who is the musical director that year.

As our trip to Newfoundland stretched out before us, I knew I would blog about it and I knew instantly that the theme would be gratitude to the people of Newfoundland. So it’s serendipitous that in the last few days I started reading so many words of thanks to the people of Newfoundland from the stranded passengers of 9/11 who were taken into their homes and made to feel like family.

"Remember, give'r till ya shiver," says the man responsible for my safety just before I jump off a boat into freezing water. I've come to the most easterly point in North America in the hope of having an up close and personal experience with whales.

“Yesterday we had 6 women from the Corner Brook area come out for a fishing tour—they were in their 60-70’s and they had a great time. Not only did they catch a lot of cod but we saw an eagle for each person.” Darren told me over the phone on Tuesday night (August 2)

The first thing you notice is the air, scrubbed by a thousand miles of ocean and a hundred miles of evergreen forest. The spruce-scented breeze wafts along the shores of western Newfoundland filling the billowing sails of our tall ship, Concordia, and simultaneously purging our lungs of city smog. Even the tap water in Newfoundland (affectionately known as "the Rock" by locals) is so pristine you can fill your car battery with it.